Helijet

Helijet International Inc
IATA
JB		 ICAO
JBA		 Callsign
HELIJET
Founded 1986
Hubs Vancouver International Airport
Fleet size 15
Destinations Four scheduled
Headquarters Vancouver, British Columbia
Key people
  • Mr Alistair Maclennan, Chairman of the Board
  • Mr Danny Sitnam, President
Website http://www.helijet.com
A Helijet S76 comes in for a landing at Vancouver Harbour.
A Helijet Bell 206L-1 LongRanger II landing on the Vancouver Harbour Helipad.

Helijet International is a helicopter airline and charter service based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Well known for its scheduled passenger helicopter airline services, it also operates a charter division (Helijet Charters) serving the film, television, aerial tour, industrial and general charter markets, as well as helicopter and jet air ambulance services. Its main base is Vancouver International Airport (YVR).[1]

Sightseeing harbour and city tours and scheduled services to Victoria operate from the Vancouver Harbour Heliport located on the shores of Burrard Inlet, adjacent to Waterfront Station. Helijet is British Columbia's largest air medical service provider, operating rotary wing and fixed wing medevac aircraft including Learjets.[2]

History

The airline was established in 1986 and started operations between Vancouver and Victoria in November 1986 with one Bell 412 helicopter and 14 staff members. It was formerly known as Helijet Airways. During the past 25 years of operation, Helijet has grown from one aircraft in scheduled service with 14 personnel carrying just 22,000 passengers into a diversified company with 15 aircraft and 150+ employees carrying over 100,000 passengers per year. The company has an excellent record of aviation safety. With US Helicopter now defunct in the New York City area since 2009, Helijet is the only scheduled passenger helicopter airline service in North America.[3]

In the past, Helijet provided scheduled passenger services with Sikorsky S-76A helicopters or Beechcraft 1900D turboprop fixed wing aircraft to Seattle-Boeing Field, Abbotsford International Airport, Langley Airport, Victoria International Airport and Campbell River Airport, all of which are still destinations accessible by Helijet Charters' services. Helijet has operated large, 19 passenger seat Sikorsky S-61 helicopters as well including in scheduled service between Vancouver and Victoria.

All scheduled passenger services between the company's heliports located in downtown Vancouver, B.C. and downtown Victoria, B.C. have been operated for many years with twin engine, Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capable Sikorsky S-76 helicopters flown by two (2) pilots. During the 2013 summer season, all scheduled service between Vancouver and Victoria was being operated with Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III turbine powered rotorcraft.[4] However, with the advent of the 2013 fall season, Helijet was once again operating Sikorsky S-76 aircraft between Vancouver and Victoria and is currently doing so.

Helijet International operates the Vancouver and Victoria Harbour Heliports under its wholly owned subsidiary, Pacific Heliport Services.

Destinations

Helijet operates bases at the following heliports/airports in British Columbia, Canada:[5]

Helijet also operates helicopter services between Masset airport and numerous fishing lodges in the Haida Gwaii area during the BC fishing season. The fishing lodges have an operating helipad to facilitate this service, which includes passenger and cargo transfers.

On March 11, 2015, Helijet began operating new scheduled passenger service utilizing Sikorsky S-76 helicopters with seven roundtrip flights every weekday between the company's downtown heliport located in Vancouver Harbour and the Nanaimo Harbour Heliport located at the Nanaimo Cruise Ship Welcome Center.[7]

Fleet

The Helijet fleet consists of the following rotorcraft and jet aircraft types (as of March 2013):

HeliJet operated the following fixed wing turboprop and helicopter types in the past:

References

  1. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 90.
  2. ↑ "Helijet - BC Air Ambulance services". Helijet Official site.
  3. ↑ Exploits of an Enduring Enterprise. Helicopters Magazine. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  4. ↑ http://www.helijet.com, Scheduled Services - Summer 2013 Schedule
  5. ↑ http://www.helijet.com, About Helijet - Our Locations
  6. ↑ http://www.helijet.com, Press Release: "North America's Premiere Scheduled Helicopter Operator Begins Nanaimo Express Service March 11th
  7. ↑ http://www.helijet.com, Press Release: "North America's Premiere Scheduled Helicopter Operator Begins Nanaimo Express Service March 11th"

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helijet International.